What Is Tarot?

Tarot is a system of illustrated cards commonly used for reflection, storytelling and personal insight. A traditional tarot deck contains 78 cards, with each card representing different experiences, emotions, challenges and possibilities.

Some people use tarot as part of a spiritual practice, while others use it as a way to organise their thoughts and look at a situation from a different perspective.

Tarot does not have to be treated as a fixed prediction of the future. A reading can instead act as a conversation with yourself. The images, symbols and traditional meanings can encourage you to consider something you may have overlooked.

Understanding the 78-Card Tarot Deck

A traditional tarot deck contains 78 cards divided into two main groups: the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana.

The Major Arcana

The Major Arcana contains 22 cards. These include The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess, The Lovers, The Hermit, Death, The Star and The World.

Major Arcana cards often represent larger themes, important lessons, turning points, personal growth or experiences that can feel particularly significant.

You can explore the full Major Arcana in our Major Arcana guide .

The Minor Arcana

The Minor Arcana contains 56 cards divided into four suits: Cups, Pentacles, Swords and Wands. These cards often relate more closely to everyday experiences, choices, emotions and practical situations.

• Cups often relate to emotions, relationships, intuition and connection.
• Pentacles often relate to work, money, stability and practical matters.
• Swords often relate to thoughts, communication, conflict and decision-making.
• Wands often relate to creativity, motivation, passion and action.

You do not need to memorise every card before you begin. Understanding the broad structure of the deck gives you a foundation from which the individual meanings become easier to learn.

You can explore the full Minor Arcana in our Minor Arcana guide .

Prepare for Your Tarot Reading

You do not need candles, crystals or a complicated ritual to read tarot. A calm environment can help, but the most important thing is giving yourself enough time and attention to think clearly.

Before beginning, sit comfortably and take a few slow breaths. Think about why you are consulting the cards and what you would like to understand.

Try to approach the reading with an open mind. Avoid deciding in advance what you want the cards to say. A useful reading may sometimes highlight something unexpected.

If you are distracted, upset or rushing, consider taking a few minutes before starting. The goal is not to create a perfect ritual. It is simply to create enough space to reflect.

Ask a Meaningful Tarot Question

The question you ask can shape the usefulness of the reading. Open questions usually encourage more reflection than questions that can only be answered with yes or no.

Instead of asking:

"Will I get the job?"

You might ask:

"What should I understand about this job opportunity?"

Other useful questions include:

• What should I focus on today?
• What can I learn from this situation?
• What may be preventing me from moving forward?
• How can I approach this relationship more thoughtfully?
• What do I need to understand about my current path?
• What is within my control in this situation?
• What perspective might I be missing?

Questions centred on your own choices and actions are often more useful than questions attempting to uncover another person's private thoughts.

Shuffle and Choose Your Cards

There is no single correct way to shuffle a tarot deck. You can shuffle it like ordinary playing cards, mix the cards gently on a table or divide the deck into smaller piles before putting it together again.

While shuffling, keep your question in mind. When you feel ready, stop and choose your card or cards.

Some readers take the top card. Others spread the deck across a table and choose whichever card attracts their attention. Both approaches can be used.

The method matters less than having a consistent approach that allows you to concentrate on the question.

Look at the Card Before Reading Its Meaning

One of the most useful habits for a beginner is to look at the artwork before immediately opening a guidebook.

Notice the people, objects, colours, expressions and surroundings shown on the card. Think about the atmosphere of the image.

Ask yourself:

• What did I notice first?
• What emotion does this image create?
• Does the card feel peaceful, active, uncertain or challenging?
• Is there a symbol that reminds me of my current situation?
• What might the person in the card be thinking or experiencing?
• Does anything in the image seem particularly important?

Your first reaction can become an important part of the reading. It gives you a personal starting point before traditional meanings are introduced.

How to Interpret a Tarot Card

Once you have looked at the card, consider its traditional meaning. Then bring that meaning back to the question you asked.

A simple way to interpret a card is to move through four steps:

1. Observe: What do you see in the artwork?
2. Understand: What are the card's traditional themes?
3. Relate: How might those themes connect with your question?
4. Reflect: What could you take from the card into your situation?

This prevents a common beginner problem: trying to force a card into a single definition.

The same card can communicate something different depending on the question, its position in a spread and the cards around it.

Combine Traditional Meaning with Intuition

Every tarot card has traditional meanings, but those meanings are not rigid definitions. The same card can offer different guidance depending on the question, position and surrounding cards.

Begin with the recognised meaning of the card. Then consider how that meaning might apply to your situation.

For example, The Hermit is often connected with solitude, reflection and inner guidance. In one reading, it could suggest taking time alone before making a decision. In another, it could highlight the need to seek wisdom or step away from outside pressure.

A useful interpretation can combine three things: the traditional meaning, the imagery on the card and your personal response to it.

Consider the Card's Position

A tarot card does not exist in isolation when you use a spread. Its position gives the card a specific role.

For example, a card in a "challenge" position may be interpreted differently from the same card in an "advice" position.

Before interpreting a card, ask:

• What does this position represent?
• What part of my question does this card answer?
• Does the traditional meaning make sense in this position?

The position helps turn individual cards into a coherent reading rather than a collection of unrelated meanings.

Upright and Reversed Tarot Cards

Some tarot readers interpret cards differently when they appear upside down. These are known as reversed cards.

A reversed card does not automatically mean something bad. It may suggest that the card's energy is blocked, delayed, internalised or being expressed in an unhelpful way.

Beginners do not need to use reversed meanings immediately. You can keep every card upright while learning the basic structure of the deck.

Once you feel comfortable, you can introduce reversals gradually. There is no requirement to use them.

If you want to explore the subject further, see our Reversed Tarot Cards guide .

Start with a One-Card Reading

A one-card reading is one of the best ways to practise. It keeps the message simple and allows you to concentrate fully on one image and meaning.

You might draw one card for:

• The energy of the day
• Something to remember
• A lesson to consider
• Guidance about one situation
• A quality you may need to develop

Write down the card, your first impression and how you think it relates to your question.

Reviewing your notes later can help you recognise how your understanding of the card develops over time.

Try a Three-Card Tarot Spread

When you feel comfortable with one card, try drawing three. Each card is assigned a position that gives it a role in the reading.

A simple three-card spread could represent:

• Card one: the current situation
• Card two: the challenge or influence
• Card three: advice or a possible next step

Other simple combinations include:

• Past, present and future
• Mind, body and spirit
• Situation, action and outcome
• What to keep, what to release and what to welcome

Read each card individually first. Then consider how the three cards connect. Look for repeated themes, similar imagery or contrasting messages.

You can find more ideas in our Tarot Spreads guide .

How to Read Multiple Tarot Cards Together

Reading several cards together is different from simply reading their individual definitions one after another.

Start by considering each card on its own. Then step back and look at the whole spread.

Ask yourself:

• Is one theme appearing more than once?
• Are several cards connected to the same suit?
• Are there several Major Arcana cards?
• Do the cards seem to reinforce or challenge one another?
• Does the spread tell a sequence or story?

The goal is not to make every card say the same thing. Contrasting cards can sometimes make the reading more interesting because they highlight tension, choices or different perspectives.

What If You Draw a Difficult Card?

Some tarot cards can look intimidating, especially when you are new to the deck.

Cards such as Death, The Tower or Ten of Swords should not automatically be interpreted as literal predictions of something terrible.

Death can relate to endings, transformation and letting go. The Tower can highlight disruption, sudden change or the collapse of something that was unstable. Ten of Swords can represent an ending, exhaustion or the need to move beyond a painful chapter.

Context matters. Consider the question, the card's position and the surrounding cards before deciding what a difficult image might mean.

Keep a Tarot Journal

Recording your readings is one of the most useful ways to learn. A tarot journal does not need to be complicated.

For each reading, write down:

• The date
• Your question
• The card or cards you drew
• Your first impressions
• The traditional meanings
• How the reading may relate to your situation
• Any thoughts you have when reviewing it later

Over time, you may notice recurring cards or themes. You may also discover that your personal connection with a card becomes deeper than a short description in a guidebook.

For more ideas, visit our Tarot Journal guide .

Common Beginner Tarot Mistakes

Drawing Too Many Cards

Drawing card after card because you dislike or do not understand the first answer can make a reading confusing. Start with one or three cards and spend time reflecting on them.

Asking the Same Question Repeatedly

Repeating the same reading until you receive the answer you hoped for can reduce its usefulness. Give yourself time to consider the original reading.

Treating Every Card as a Prediction

Cards can describe feelings, influences, possibilities and advice. They do not have to describe a fixed future event.

Believing Difficult Cards Are Always Negative

A challenging card may highlight something that needs attention, change or reflection rather than predicting something bad.

Ignoring Your Own Judgement

Tarot should support your thinking, not replace it. You remain responsible for your choices and actions.

Do You Need to Memorise All 78 Cards?

No. You do not need to memorise all 78 cards before beginning.

Start by understanding the broad themes of the Major Arcana and the four Minor Arcana suits. Keep a guide nearby and look up cards as you draw them.

With regular practice, the meanings will become familiar. More importantly, you will begin to recognise how a card changes depending on the question, position and surrounding cards.

Learning tarot is a gradual process. Being curious about a card is often more useful than trying to memorise a long list of keywords.

Build a Regular Tarot Practice

You do not need to spend hours studying tarot every day. Small, consistent practice can be enough.

A simple routine could be:

1. Draw one card.
2. Observe the artwork.
3. Write down your first reaction.
4. Look up the traditional meaning.
5. Consider how the two perspectives connect.
6. Record anything you want to revisit later.

A daily one-card reading can become a quiet reflective habit without turning tarot into something you feel dependent on.

How Often Should You Read Tarot?

There is no fixed limit, but it can be helpful to avoid relying on tarot for every small decision.

A daily one-card reading can be useful for reflection and practice. For larger questions, consider waiting until the situation changes or you have had time to act on the previous reading.

If you notice yourself repeatedly drawing cards because you feel anxious about an answer, stepping away from the deck may be more useful than drawing another card.

Tarot is most helpful when it encourages thought, awareness and constructive action rather than anxiety or dependence.

Using Tarot for Reflection and Decision-Making

Tarot can be a useful way to explore your own perspective when you are unsure what you think about a situation.

Instead of asking the cards to make a decision for you, consider using them to explore the decision.

For example, you could ask:

• What should I consider before making this choice?
• What am I overlooking?
• What might help me approach this differently?
• What should I be mindful of?

The reading can then become a prompt for reflection rather than an instruction that removes your own judgement from the process.

Trust Your Own Perspective

Different tarot readers may interpret the same card differently. This does not necessarily mean one interpretation is wrong.

Tarot is symbolic. The meaning comes from the relationship between the card, the question and the person reading it.

Allow your understanding to grow naturally. You do not need to force an interpretation or make every detail fit perfectly.

Sometimes the most useful response is simply:

"I need more time to think about this card."

Frequently Asked Questions About Tarot

Can anyone learn to read tarot?

Yes. You do not need to be an experienced reader to begin. Start with the structure of the deck, learn a few cards at a time and practise regularly.

Do I need to know all 78 tarot cards?

No. A guidebook can be used while you learn. Over time, repeated practice will make the cards and their themes more familiar.

Are reversed tarot cards necessary?

No. Some readers use reversals and others do not. Beginners can learn the upright meanings first and introduce reversals later if they wish.

What is the best tarot spread for beginners?

A one-card reading is an excellent place to start. Once you are comfortable, a simple three-card spread can introduce card positions and relationships between cards.

What should I do if I do not understand a card?

Look at the artwork again, read the traditional meaning and consider the card's position. You can also write down your first impression and return to it later.

Should tarot predict the future?

The Oracle's Support Centre takes a reflective approach to tarot. The cards can be used to explore possibilities, perspectives and questions rather than treated as guaranteed predictions.